30102025-CT-01.qxd 10/30/2025 12:55 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune ADMN MULLS MORE SUBSIDY ON ROOFTOP SOLAR PLANTS TWO ARRESTED FOR DUPING CITY RESIDENT OF ~9 LAKH BADAA KARARA PUDNA IS A STORY OF SIX SPIRITED SISTERS UT has planned to offer an additional subsidy of ~30,000 for installing rooftop solar power plants. P3 The accused duped the resident of ~9.03 lakh through a fake job offer run via Telegram. P3 The cast, Upasana Singh, Kulraj Randhawa and Mannat Singh, performs its energetic title song in Chandigarh. P4 » » PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 31°C | MIN 18°C YESTERDAY MAX 30.4°C | MIN 16.6°C SUNSET THURSDAY 5.37 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 6.35 AM » THURSDAY | 30 OCTOBER 2025 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST /THETRIBUNECHD FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE Chhath Puja over, heaps of waste dot Ghaggar banks Environment activists’ request for post-festival sanitation goes unheeded Sheetal Tribune News Service WHAT’S ON CHANDIGARH EXHIBITION: The India Silk Utsav, an exhibition-cumsale showcasing handwoven silk and cotton sarees and suits from across India; Kisan Bhawan, Sector 35; 11 am to 8 pm AWARDS: Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi (CLKA) invites entries for its fourth Open Hand Art Studios Awards and scholarship scheme for printmaking talents from artists by October 30; Rani Laxmibai Bhawan, CLKA, Sector 38 MOHALI FOUNDATION STONE: MLA Kulwant Singh to lay foundation stones for construction of village link roads at Dhurali, Gobindgarh, Gudana and Daon villages; 10 am to 11:45 am APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 34, 56 and Ram Darbar Panchkula: Sector 5 Mohali: Sec 88 and Phase 8 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com Panchkula, October 29 Days after Haryana’s statelevel Chhath Puja celebrations along the Ghaggar in Sector 23 here, the glow of diyas and devotion has dimmed — leaving behind a trail of waste on the banks of the river. A grand celebration with Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini also performing puja — a first in Haryana amid Bihar elections — and yet the spot strewn with waste paints a picture of sorry state of affairs. As makeshift tents and bamboo structures were dismantled this evening, heaps of soggy flowers, discarded offerings and plastic waste dotted the “Chhath ghat”. Children were seen wading through the muck, searching for coins tossed into the river during the rituals, even as stray dogs scavenged nearby. The sight contrasted sharply with the previous day’s spiritual fervour and holy offering on Monday when CM Saini and senior leaders had joined thousands of devotees at the venue. Despite prior assurances of post-event sanitation, the area bore the unmistakable stench of neglect. Civic workers never arrived. What makes the situation more concerning is that activists had made a request in writing to the Deputy Com- A heap of garbage on the banks of the Ghaggar in Sector 23 in Panchkula on Wednesday. RAVI KUMAR missioner, Panchkula, on the day of the event — urging authorities to install dustbins, clean the ghats and deploy sweepers during and after the celebration. The letter, dated October 27 and addressed by Tapasya Sharma, co-founder of Save River Ghaggar Campaign, was marked to the XENs of the Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) and the Irrigation Department for necessary action. However, the requests went unheeded. “How do you know a city Youth stabbed to death, 5 held Sheetal Tribune News Service Chandigarh, October 29 A 22-year-old youth was stabbed to death by a group of youths at Ram Darbar here late Tuesday night, reportedly after being mistaken for someone else. The police have arrested five persons, including prime suspects Deepu and Kallu. The victim, identified as Rishi, a resident of Ram Darbar, was attacked while he was chatting with his friends near a local park. According to the police, around ten youths arrived at there and surrounded Rishi. They allegedly began questioning him about a person named Vansh Madiwala. When Rishi denied knowing him, Deepu and Kallu pulled out knives and repeatedly stabbed him. Rishi’s friends rushed him to the Government Medical College and Hospital where doc- tors declared him dead. Investigations revealed that the assailants were actually looking for Vansh Madiwala, a youth recently released from jail, with whom they had a long-standing rivalry. Vansh had reportedly been re-arrested a day earlier in a brawl case, a fact the attackers were unaware of. Believing Rishi to be Vansh’s associate, they allegedly killed him. will go up or down in Swachhta ratings? Here’s an example — a ghat is constructed for one particular festival, Chhath Puja. However, on the day of the puja, a single dustbin was not in sight at the ghat, in spite of our request to the city magistrate for the same,” said Tapasya Sharma. “Thus, the result is that different places in Panchkula where the Chhath Puja rituals were performed are now full of religious leftovers, Only 2 arrivals at city airport Mohali, October 29 Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport here received only two flights during truncated operations on Wednesday. One flight each from Hyderabad and Mumbai landed at the airport in the morning and departed before 12 noon. The flight operations have been restricted due to runway repairs from October 26. — TNS PU gears up for Global Alumni Meet Eminent persons to share experiences, reaffirm bond with varsity on Nov 1 Nitin Jain Tribune News Service Chandigarh, October 29 The corridors of Panjab University (PU) are abuzz with anticipation as the institution readies to host its sixth Global Alumni Meet-2025 on November 1, which will bring together eminent alumni from across the world who have excelled in diverse fields. The event, to be held at the University’s Law Auditorium, will be presided over by PU Vice-Chancellor Renu Vig, who described the meet as “a celebration of shared roots, lifelong learning and global impact.” From the nostalgia of hostel corridors and library lanes to the pride of international achievements, the meet will see accomplished graduates reunite to celebrate their alma mater and inspire the next generation of students. The spirit of reconnection, reflection and collaboration forms the heart of this edition, underscoring PU’s continuing efforts to strengthen its worldwide alumni network as a key partner in academic and institutional growth. Among those attending the event are distinguished personalities including Justice Swatanter Kumar, former Supreme Court Judge and former Chairperson of Continued on page 3 Preparations in full swing ahead of the Global Alumni Meet at the PU on Wednesday. PHOTO: RAVI KUMAR Distinguished guests to grace the event Acharya Krishan Kant Attri, a PU alumnus from Hoshiarpur, created history as the first Hindu Chaplain appointed to the British Armed Forces in 2005. Holding the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel, he has worked tirelessly to promote interfaith harmony and spiritual welfare among armed forces personnel. His marathon running, charity drives and interfaith initiatives exemplify the spirit of service and global citizenship nurtured at PU. Yogi Sukh Dev, returning from Singapore, brings over two decades of experience in peak performance training with elite athletes, including Olympians and Indian cricket greats such as Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and MS Dhoni. A former triathlete who represented India in the 1996 Asian Triathlon Championships, he will lead an interactive session on holistic well-being, lifestyle balance and mental fitness. Prof Emeritus Neelam Mansingh Chowdhry will share insights from her journey as one of India’s most celebrated theatre directors, while Justice Swatanter Kumar and Chandigarh DGP Sagar Preet Hooda will reflect on their professional journeys and the formative role of PU in their lives. c m y b polythene, plastic and empty water bottles. Looking at the apathy of the Panchkula Administration and the departments concerned (Haryana Irrigation and HSVP), next year’s Swachhta ranking of Panchkula may not go up.” Environment activist Mohit Gupta, also a cofounder of Save Ghaggar, pointed to a deeper contradiction in the event itself. “Religious sentiments aside, the plastic and left- overs causing pollution apart, the Chhath devotees were all allowed to use the Ghaggar water, which, as per the Haryana State Pollution Control Board’s own reports, is not even fit for human bathing. There is a Ghaggar Action Plan in operation since long, but practically only continuous deterioration of water quality is happening. It is high time we started doing something for the rivers which we Hindus worship as devis,” he said. For many residents, the scene at the ghat — children playing amid litter and murky water flowing past — stood as a stark reminder of how devotion and environmental neglect continue to coexist uncomfortably on the banks of the Ghaggar. “The same thing happened during Ganesh Chaturthi and Durga Puja visarjan this year. No matter how grand is the faith but civic sense of devotees as well as those in authority is on the decline. No doubt that more people in the north now bring Ganpati home or celebrate each festival from different states, but it is equally important to respect the rivers, which are also considered sacred in Hindu religion,” points out a resident, on the condition of anonymity. Workers clean the lake on Wednesday. PHOTO: VICKY Sector 42 lake stinks Cleanliness drive gets underway Dushyant Singh Pundir Tribune News Service Chandigarh, October 29 A day after the Chhath Puja concluded, visitors to the Sector 42 lake braved stink emanating from polluted water, even as workers removed floating waste with the help of a net. According to officials, discarded offerings, fruits, flowers and other waste material were removed from the venue. Soon after the celebrations were over, a cleanliness drive was also launched at the lake. Workers engaged in removing the waste said heaps of flowers, sugarcane, rotten fruits, etc had been cleared from the lake with the help of nets and it would take one more day to clean the lake. Officials stated after the celebrations, a drive was launched and all waste was removed. Simultaneously, the lake was cleaned. Environmentalists said devotees and organising committees should adopt eco-friendly practices and ensure proper disposal of waste after such events. A group of students from the nearby Institute of Hotel Management said they visited the lake for an evening walk today. While waste had been removed from the venue, foul smell was still emanating from the lake, they said.